Nauvoo

Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from Fort Madison, Iowa. The first white settlers built cabins in the area in 1827, and it was founded as the town of Venus in 1832, being renamed to Commerce two years later. In late 1839, arriving Mormons bought the small town and renamed it to "Nauvoo", meaning "beautiful place" in Hebrew. The Mormons were initially sick due to their camp's location near a swamp, but it developed into a prosperous town. By 1844, the population had swollen to 12,000 as immigrants, escaped slaves, and Mormon converts bolstered the already-existing population of Mormon refugees from Missouri. After Joseph Smith's murder in 1844, most of the Mormons - led by Brigham Young - left Nauvoo and emigrated to Utah, where they founded Salt Lake City. By the early and mid-20th century, Nauvoo was a predominantly Catholic town. In 2016, Nauvoo had a population of 1,105 people.